While high-speed trains have been zooming across Europe and Asia for decades, after years of contentious debate, the state of California has approved the first phase of construction for the much anticipated — yet controversial — high-speed rail project linking Los Angeles and San Francisco. The nation's first high speed rail, and one of its largest public infrastructure projects, will cover 800 miles of track and reach speeds of up to 220 mph, allowing passengers to travel from LA to SF in just 2.5 hours. Although it is cheered on by many who see it as a boon for business, commerce, and a step toward environmental sustainability, others view it as project "doomed to fail" when the state is on such shaky fiscal legs.

This program will look to models in Asia, such as Japan's Shinkansen, as well as those in Korea and China to understand how high speed rail systems have impacted travel, business, and livability. Will such an undertaking in California bring about similar changes, or is it simply a waste of public funding? Please join our expert panel for a discussion of these and other questions.

Speakers include Steve Boland, Associate Project Planner, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, Rod Diridon, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute, John Eddy, Principal, America's Infrastructure Practice Chair, Arup (moderator), and Tian Feng, District Architect, SF Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

Outreach Co-Sponsors: American Institute of Architects (AIA), Mineta Transportation Institute, ChinaSF, USF Japan Policy Research Institute